


Figuring It Out

by loverjoy



Category: One Piece
Genre: Fear of Thunderstorms, Help me I'm crying, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Relationship, They're cute, Thunderstorms, as best as he can anyway, he's new at this, i just love them so much, zoro comforts sanji
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-10-12 05:21:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20558915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loverjoy/pseuds/loverjoy
Summary: Sanji is afraid of thunderstorms and always takes refuge in the storage of the ship, but this time Zoro finds him and tries his hand at comfort. He tries his best. It seems to work.





	Figuring It Out

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is going to be a collection of Zosan one-shots! The rating may go up if I decide to write any smut, but for right now I'm keeping it PG. I hope you guys like this one! I've been writing it for 5 days cause I've been procrasinating, but I finally got it done! Enjoy!

He’d fallen asleep on deck at some point. He’d been the one looking out, making sure no marines or other pirates showed up. Really not what they needed right now. They’d just left Alabasta, said farewell to Vivi, and now they were onto their next adventure. Luffy had found a map to some sky island or something and now he wanted to go, but no one really believed an island in the sky existed. It wasn’t very realistic. I mean. _ An island in the sky? Be real, Luffy. _ Sometimes Zoro couldn’t believe the things his captain thought up and believed in.

He was disturbed from his slumber because of a sudden rolling of thunder. It had been sunny all day, not a single sign of storms. If there was, Nami would’ve said something. They were on the Grand Line though, so an unexpected storm was of no surprise to him. He sighed and closed his eyes again. _ Oh well, maybe it’ll pass over. _ He drifted back off to sleep for a while without a care in the world. At least, that was until somebody kicked him harshly in the leg and woke him once more.

He snapped open his eyes and glared up at his assailant, seeing the redhead standing over him, “What the hell was that for?!”

“There’s a pretty dangerous storm coming in,” Nami said, a sort of concerned tone to her voice instead of the usual bite it carried when she spoke to him, “You need to get inside so you don’t get slung overboard. It looks like it’s going to be a harsh one.”

Zoro turned his gaze upwards to the night sky, able to make out the lines of dark clouds covering the sky; he saw lightning crash in the distance and heard the thunder echo. It wasn’t so bad right now, but in mere minutes that thunder would be loud; rain started to sprinkle onto the deck and onto both him and Nami.

“Yeah, alright,” Zoro said, grabbing his swords and getting to his feet, following Nami’s orders and tagging along behind her inside.

Nami closed the door firmly behind her, quietly telling Zoro to go and get some rest. He agreed and left her alone; she said she’d stay up and keep watch and make sure the storm didn’t get too dangerous. If that happened, they’d have to go out on deck and try and steady the ship, so they didn’t capsize.

Zoro’s footsteps echoed throughout the quiet hall as he made his way downstairs into the men’s quarters. He yawned as he opened the door, stepping inside and over to his usual hammock. He set his swords down and prepared to get in, glancing around the room subconsciously as he did so. Something was off though. He did count everybody right? _ Hang on. _ He looked around the room once more, making sure his eyes weren’t betraying him. _ One, two, three. Luffy, Usopp, Chopper… No. One was missing. Where’s the cook? _ He looked around the room more extensively, making sure he hadn’t passed out somewhere else as he was known to do every once in a while. He wasn’t on the couch or at the table, not even the floor. He wasn’t anywhere in here. _ Where the hell did he go? Maybe he fell asleep in the kitchen again? _ He works himself too thin sometimes and passes out at the table every now and again. _ He’s such a dumbass. _

Zoro thought about ignoring it and just going to sleep. He’s sure the cook is fine. Another roll of thunder echoed, louder this time. His fists tightened their grip on the hammock, and he sighed in frustration. No, something felt off. Besides, if he didn’t go looking for the idiot and make sure he was alright Nami would have his head. He might as well check the kitchen just to make sure. 

He sighed once more and released his hammock, turning around and leaving the room just as quickly as he had entered it, for once leaving his swords behind. He stepped back down the hall and up the steps, heading for the galley. He stepped inside, seeing all the lights have been turned off and all prepping and cooking equipment had been put away. Even the dishes from dinner had been washed and put back where they belong. The cook was nowhere to be seen.

_ Okay, now that’s strange. _

_ If he wasn’t in the men’s quarters and he wasn’t in the kitchen, then where the hell is he? _ He wouldn’t be outside, not with the storm. The rain was pouring now, he’d have made it inside by now if he’d been out there. He decided to check the bathroom. _ Maybe he went to take a late-night piss or something. _

He left the kitchen and ventured towards the bathroom but found the door wide open and the lights off. No one occupied the restroom. Okay, now he’s getting annoyed. He muttered to himself, “Where the hell are you, you stupid cook?”

Not in the men’s quarters, not in the kitchen, not in the restroom, he sure as hell wasn’t outside. The women wouldn’t let him inside their quarters, he knew that for sure. _ Then where is he? _ He sighed again, deciding to wander around and see if that led him anywhere. He passed by some areas he’s already been, but eventually ventured down the stairs again and past the men’s quarters, deciding to check the storage area. Why he’d be down there at this time of night he wasn’t sure, but it didn’t hurt to check.

He made his way down there, looking around for any signs of the blonde cook. He began to grow frustrated; he just wanted to sleep. The blonde was a pain in his ass.

He was just about to give up and go back upstairs, knowing the cook would probably just show up in the morning anyway, but he was stopped when he caught sight of that familiar blonde hair out the corner of his eye. He backtracked and looked down the hall, narrowing his eyes to get a clearer view and confirming his suspicions. _ Yeah, that's the cook alright. _

He turned and stepped down the hall, calling out irritably, “Oi, swirly brow!”

The blonde flinched at the sound of Zoro’s loud voice, but he didn’t look up. He just sat there, which concerned Zoro just the slightest. _ Weird. _ Usually he had something to say back, but now he’s just… Ignoring him? Or maybe he didn’t hear him?

“Hey, cook!” Zoro tried again, but now as he was just several feet away from him, he finally took in his appearance. He was sitting in an upright fetal position, hands covering his hears and face hidden in his knees. Zoro quirked an eyebrow and was about to call for him again but was cut off when he was finally acknowledged.

“Great…” Sanji spoke, voice low and quiet as he lifted his head just barely to Zoro could hear him better, “You’re literally the last person I wanted to see right now, mosshead.”

Zoro quirked an eyebrow at the tone of Sanji’s voice as well as how low he was speaking. Something was off about the way he spoke, he was never so quiet, “What the hell are you doing down here? You’re usually sleeping by now.”

Sanji scoffed, “You’ve been paying that close attention?”

Zoro narrowed his eyes and snapped, “No, I just notice certain things, and you disappearing in the middle of the night is one of them.”

“Worried?” Sanji mocked, and even though Zoro couldn’t see his face he knew he was smirking that smug smile of his.

“Not in the slightest,” Zoro said, crossing his arms irritably across his chest, “I just figured if you went missing it’d worry everyone else and Nami’s a pain in my ass enough already.”

Sanji scoffed again, muttering quietly, “Just go away, will ya?”

Zoro was actually considering doing that, “Well, if it’s what you want. I found you and that was all I planned on doing, so I guess I’ll—”

A loud boom of thunder suddenly came from overhead, seeming to rattle the whole ship. The waves rocked the boat, making Zoro stumble; Sanji’s hands shot to the floorboards to stable himself. After the rocking calmed a bit and he was back on steady footing, he looked back down to Sanji, about to open his mouth and say something stupid, but he was taken off guard by the state of the man in front of him.

Sanji had curled himself in a tight ball, hands covering his ears tightly and fingers digging into his scalp harshly. He didn’t even have to look close to see that he was trembling. Well, this is surely a state that Zoro’s never seen him in before. He dropped his arms to his sides and looked the man once over, then he asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing’s wrong me, you dumbass,” Sanji spoke, voice muffled and if Zoro wasn’t mistaken he thought he heard it shaking too, “Just… go away, alright?”

Of course, though, Zoro was stubborn and refused to do as he was told, “You’re shaking like a leaf. You cold or something?”

Sanji so badly wanted to call him a dumbass again, but another boom of thunder kept him from doing so and instead he curled into a tighter ball. Zoro watched him curiously for a moment, then it hit him. _ Oh. _ Why does this surprise him so much?

“You’re afraid of storms?” Zoro asked, a bit incredulously, then a smile broke out across his face, “Wow. Didn’t think you’d be afraid of something so stupid.”

“Shut up!” Sanji snapped, finally tearing his face away from his knees and glaring up at Zoro, “It’s not stupid! I’ll kick your ass, mosshead!”

Zoro was going to tease him about this for the rest of his life, but he was taken aback by the look on Sanji’s face when he lifted his head. There was anger in those sea blue eyes of his, but there was quite a lot of fear as well. The thing he was most taken aback by though were the tears he was sure he saw in his eyes. _ Is he crying? Over a storm? _ Zoro didn’t think it was that serious. He may give Sanji a lot of hell, but he was one of the strongest people he knew. Him being afraid of a storm surprised him. 

“Are you seriously crying over this?” Zoro asked, then he winced at the way he worded that. He hadn’t meant to sound that harsh, but it was difficult when talking to Sanji.

Sanji brought a hand up and wiped his eyes, dipping his head again to hide his face so Zoro couldn’t see him, “Shut up, you bastard…”

He tried to yell it, but another roll of thunder made the end of his insult come out as more of a whine. His hands went back to cover his ears and his face was hidden in his knees again. Zoro just stared at him, not really sure what to do. He’s never seen the cook get so upset over anything. Angry? Yes. Crying in fear? No. He never thought he’d see him like this. He was at a loss for words, he didn’t know what to do.

The thunder seemed to get louder as the storm drew nearer, and Sanji curled into himself tighter. His hands covered his head and ears, as if that would protect him from the storm. His feet pushed against the floorboards, as if trying to get some leverage on something. 

“What are you scared of?” Zoro asked, genuinely curiously.

Sanji brought his head up again, sending a teary-eyed glare Zoro’s way, “I thought you figured it out already, asshole.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Zoro snapped back, narrowing his eyes at the blonde cook, “I mean… what are you afraid of exactly? Is it just the thunder or the lightning or the heavy wind or—”

“It’s everything,” Sanji said, then he immediately regretted it; he hadn’t meant to be so open about that. He turned his head to face away from Zoro.

Zoro was silent for a moment, thinking that over, then he wondered something, “Well, is there a reason why?”

Sanji went still for a brief moment, processing that question. Well, of course there’s a reason why. But… should he really tell Zoro? The man’s been a pain in his ass from day one. If he opened up at all about himself, he’s afraid the dumbass would just hold it over his head for the rest of his life, mocking him like always. 

Sanji sniffled and shook his head, “It’s none of your business… Just go away, already…”

Zoro being Zoro, was stubborn. He took a step forward, standing just next to Sanji now, the toes of his shoes almost touching Sanji’s leg, “No need to be a crybaby over it. Why don’t you just—”

“Would you just fuck off?!” Sanji yelled, glaring daggers up at Zoro again, though this time his look was harsher than Zoro’s ever seen it before. If looks could kill.

Zoro didn’t flinch when Sanji yelled, he was much too focused on the fear in the cook’s eyes. He’s never seen him like this before. He didn’t like it. Sanji was always very lively and full of fire, seeing him broken like this wasn’t leaving him with a good feeling. What was that he was feeling anyway? It was frustrating.

Zoro took a defensive stance, glaring angrily at the cook, “Watch your mouth with me, swirly brow!”

“Watch my mouth with you?! How about you watch your mouth with me?!” Sanji yelled, pushing his hands flat against the floor.

“I didn’t even say anything!” Zoro yelled back, throwing his arms out to the sides, “I was just asking a question!”

“Alright, I’ve told you three times to leave me alone and you just won’t listen,” Sanji said, voice strained from trying to suppress his emotions. He got to his feet, stumbling just slightly before he squared up, as if to fight Zoro, “You’re starting to piss me off.”

“Yeah? Well, so are you,” Zoro said, and he was pretty sure Sanji was about to kick him in the gut.

Zoro braced for the attack and prepared to strike back as well, but just as Sanji raised his leg to kick him thunder boomed again and the rocky waves seemed to tilt the ship. Sanji nearly fell over, but Zoro instinctively grabbed him and kept him from falling on his face. Zoro had grabbed Sanji’s leg when he was falling, and it had ended up draped over his shoulder; Zoro’s other hand ended up on the blonde’s shoulder to help steady them both.

The boat’s rocking calmed after a moment, leaving them with more stable ground, and that’s when they realized the position they were in. Zoro didn’t much mind, nor did he really think about what was happening in the moment, but Sanji sure did. His face flushed red, and his eyes went wide in surprise. Zoro furrowed his eyebrows in curiosity, “What the hell’s wrong with you now?”

Sanji immediately pulled away after Zoro had asked that, taking a couple of steps back, “N-n-nothing’s wrong! I just… uh…”

He didn’t know what to say. Why didn’t he know what to say?! He looked like an idiot right now! Flustered over nothing! And that’s what it was! Nothing!

Thunder crashed overhead again, but it was the loudest boom so far. Sanji hadn’t meant for it to come out, but a fearful whimper escaped his throat, which only made his face burn hotter. He looked like such a wimp right now. He couldn’t help but cover his head again, arms going up to guard himself as the rain poured down harshly above deck. God, he hated this. He hated this so much.

“Calm down, would ya?” Zoro snapped, still glaring though there was a certain softness to his eyes, “I don’t like it when you’re like this. It’s weird.”

“Well, I’m sorry I’m making you uncomfortable,” Sanji said, voice muffled by his arms, “If you’re that upset about it then why don’t you—”

“If you tell me to fuck off one more time I’m gunna kick your ass,” Zoro snapped, grabbing Sanji by one of his arms to get him to shut up, “Stop hiding. The storm isn’t going to kill you.”

“Let me go!” Sanji tried fighting against him, but because of his fear he was trembling, and his feet weren’t as stable as they usually were. God, he hated feeling so weak.

“Quit fighting and look at me!” Zoro snapped harshly, using both his hands to grab Sanji’s arms. He forcefully pulled them away from his head, with a little bit of a struggle he might add, then he pulled him towards him little, though Sanji turned his head away so he didn’t have to face him, “And quit being so stubborn!”

“Let me go, you idiot!” Sanji snapped, though he’d lost a lot of the bite in his tone.

“Look at me,” Zoro snapped, shaking the cook maybe a bit too roughly. When Sanji didn’t do as he said, he shook him again and said, with a bit more calm in his voice, “Look at me.”

Sanji opened his eyes and forced himself to look at Zoro just in the hopes that the man would let him go. When he opened his eyes, he was expecting to see Zoro glaring at him harshly, spite in his eyes, but instead he saw the complete opposite. Well, not the complete opposite, but something that surprised him, nonetheless. He still looked irritated and a little angry, but there was concern in his eyes too, something he never showed for anybody, much less him. 

“Calm down,” Zoro said, voice even and calm. _ Why’s he being so nice? _ “It’s just a storm. We’ve lived through tons of these, much worse than this one too.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Sanji shook his head, breath hitching in his throat as he tried his best to calm down; he really didn’t want Zoro of all people to see him like this, it’s just one more thing for Zoro to tease him for, “It doesn’t matter how severe or not they are, they all…”

He didn’t want to admit it. Not to him.

“Scare you?” Zoro filled in, and Sanji was still confused by the gentleness in his tone and how… kind? He was being to him.

Sanji bit his lip and dipped his head, hiding his face from Zoro’s sight once more, “What’s up with you?”

Zoro quirked an eyebrow and tilted his head, “What do you mean?”

“Why are you acting like you care?” Sanji mumbled out, “I know you don’t, so why won’t you just leave me alone?”

Zoro just stared at the blonde curtain of hair obscuring the view of Sanji’s face from him, then he simply said, “Shut up.”

Lightning crashed again, which was followed quickly by the loud boom of thunder that made Sanji flinch. Zoro felt him jerk away under his touch, which made him subconsciously tighten his grip on his arms to keep him from moving away. Sanji was trying to pull away, but he stumbled a bit because of his trembling, and the rocking of the waves moving the boat didn’t help, “Let me… go…”

“Stop being a pain in the ass,” Zoro said, bitter tone just about gone now and replaced with something more gentle, “You’re not going to die, so quit crying.”

“Shut up…” Sanji muttered, then his arms pulled out of Zoro’s grasp and went to guard his head again when another strike of lightning crashed, “Is it getting closer…?”

Sanji covered his ears, blocking out the sounds of the storm as well as whatever Zoro was saying to him right now. He really just wanted to be left alone. He’s gotten through many storms this way and he never got help for any of them. So why now? Why did Zoro have to be here? He didn’t need the idiot’s help, he could get through this by himself just like he always had. He didn’t need anybody’s help.

“Cook,” Zoro tried to get Sanji’s attention, “Oi, cook.”

He couldn’t hear him. Zoro sighed in annoyance. Why is he like this? Why is he so stubborn? He was getting sort of pissed off now and he was losing his patience. He sighed irritably and grabbed Sanji’s hands where they covered his ears, pulling them away with quite a struggle, “Would you just listen to me for a minute?!”

“How about you just leave me alone?!” Sanji snapped, struggling against Zoro’s hold.

“Quit being stubborn!” Zoro said.

“You’ve got room to talk, dumbass!” Sanji said back, swinging a foot forward to kick at Zoro, his toes delivering a harsh kick into Zoro’s shin and nearly making the larger man fall over.

“God dammit! I’ve had it!” Zoro yelled, grabbing Sanji’s wrists harshly and turning to slam him against the wall. His back hit the wall harshly, making him yelp in pain but Zoro ignored that for now, too irritated to deal with something else at the moment, “Would you just calm down for one fucking minute and listen to me?!”

Sanji was quiet, no words coming to his mind in that moment. He was taken aback by their sudden position. With this storm and the stress of having Zoro yelling at him over it was not helping with his coherency level, and now he was being threatened or something, and that was just piling up on his already overwhelming stress.

“You’re panicking. You need to relax,” Zoro tried, and that just seemed to piss Sanji off more.

He snapped out of his reverie and glared at Zoro again, “Relax? Yeah, it’s that easy, you asshole!”

“Well, at least stop yelling! That can’t be helping any!” Zoro yelled, getting a little too close for Sanji’s comfort.

“You yelling at me is not helping any!” Sanji yelled right back.

Zoro stopped in his tracks. _ Okay, it looks like I’m going to have to calm down myself before I can get him to calm down. _ Zoro closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. _ Alright, take a different approach. Stop being so bullheaded and actually try and figure this out calmly. Focus your inner Chopper. _

“Okay, I’ll stop yelling,” Zoro said, voice calm now as he made eye contact with Sanji, “But you have to try and calm down too. Alright?”

Sanji was surprised by Zoro actually taking a hint and calming himself down. He hadn’t expected it of the hothead, but he was pleasantly surprised by it. Well, if Zoro was going to try the least he could do was try too. He wasn’t going to be outshined by the mosshead, after all. He nodded in agreement, “Okay…” He then remembered Zoro’s tight bruising grip on his wrists and he tried pulling them out of his hold, “But let me go first…”

“Oh, yeah. Sure,” Zoro released Sanji’s arms, letting him pull them back against himself, arms wrapping around himself in a sort of comforting way.

The boat was still rocking a bit violently, making it hard to keep their footing down here, so Zoro gestured for Sanji to sit, “Sit down before you fall.”

“Since when are you so concerned about me?” Sanji asked, wobbling unsteadily on his feet, “Going soft, are we, mosshead?”

“Shut up and sit down!” Zoro snapped. He didn’t yell, his tone was just harsh.

Sanji sighed and mumbled a response that Zoro didn’t quite hear, but he didn’t ask him to repeat himself. Sanji was sitting down, so that was good enough. Zoro went down with him, kneeling down in front of him and now catching the heaviness of Sanji’s breathing. This was really freaking him out.

The thunder was really loud now, signaling that the storm was just overhead. Sanji’s hands shot back to cover his ears as he muttered a, “God dammit…”

Zoro, doing something he’s never done before, gently grabbed Sanji’s hands and pulled them away from his ears, “Calm down.”

Sanji shook his head as lightning crashed again, “I can’t…”

“You can,” Zoro assured him, lighting crashing again and Sanji trying to pull his arms and hands away from Zoro to guard his head, but Zoro wouldn’t let go, “Stop it.”

“Just leave me alone—”

“Don’t start that shit again,” Zoro said, squeezing Sanji’s hands to reassure him, “I’m not leaving.”

“Dammit…” Sanji bowed his head, tears of frustration stinging his eyes now, “I don’t understand…”

“Don’t understand?” Zoro quirked an eyebrow, “Don’t understand what?”

“Why you’re being so nice…” Sanji informed, “You’re always an asshole, so why are you helping me now?”

That question threw Zoro for a loop, because he didn’t actually know. He thought about it for a moment, trying to find an answer, and this is what he came up with, “I don’t know… I guess it’s because you’re my nakama and maybe it’s because I… might be, and that’s a strong _ might be _ … worried about you…”

Why did that hurt to say? And why did his face suddenly burn? He felt flustered. _ What is this feeling? _

Zoro forced himself to look at Sanji and he felt his face burn hotter when his eyes met bright blue ones. He was looking right at him, eyes still full of tears but surprise was written in them. Zoro didn’t know what to say, his mouth suddenly felt so dry. He at least attempted to speak, but before he could Sanji suddenly burst out laughing. Zoro was left stunned, and suddenly he felt a little angry.

“What the hell are you laughing about?!” Zoro snapped, glaring at the blonde.

“You’re… you’re worried? About me?!” Sanji broke down laughing again, tears streaming down his face now, “That’s real nice, mosshead!”

“Well, what’s so strange about that?!” Zoro asked, honestly offended.

“I just don’t get it!” Sanji continued to laugh, not even attempting to wipe at his tearstained face, “Why would anyone be worried about me?!”

He had meant to say: ‘why would _ you _ be worried about me,’ but it came out worse than he had intended. It showed a little too much of his insecurity, and Zoro recognized that.

“What do you mean by that?” Zoro asked, voice low and gentle again, tone curious and a bit concerned, “That’s a bit depressing, cook.”

As if just realizing what’d he just said, Sanji stopped laughing immediately and frowned, eyes wide in surprise. _ Shit, _ “It’s nothing… I didn’t mean for it to come out that way…”

“Like hell you didn’t,” Zoro said, narrowing his eyes at Sanji again, “Don’t be an idiot. This crew cares about you, including me. So, stop thinking like that or I’m gunna kick your ass, you got me?”

He’d never seen Zoro so serious about stuff like this. The man was generally so reserved emotionally, he never discussed how he truly felt, so this was taking Sanji for a bit of a surprise. Before Sanji could even think of a response to what Zoro had just admitted, lightning crashed again and made him duck his head as if to hide from it; he couldn’t cover his ears because Zoro still had a hold on his hands. He went to bow his head in hopes of somehow guarding himself from the storm, as a way to feel safer, but because of how close Zoro was sitting he bumped his head on the man’s chest and that’s where it stayed. He didn’t even attempt to move. Zoro waited for the cook to pull away, but he never did. He felt his face get hot again, but this time he didn’t so much mind it.

“I hate this,” Sanji said and flinched when lightning struck again, voice trembling. He released a deep breath, still remaining slumped against Zoro’s chest, “I almost died in a storm like this when I was a kid.”

That took him by surprise, “Oh.”

“I was about ten or so,” Sanji started, voice quiet now and muffled from where he was positioned, “I was working in the kitchen on a ship. I washed dishes. Humble beginnings,” He chuckled, trying to lighten the mood and distract himself from the storm, as well as from the story he’d never told anybody, “There was a storm, obviously, and we were attacked by pirates… The storm was really bad, and I was washed overboard. The boat capsized after that and all my crewmates died…”

Zoro blinked in surprise, for some reason not expecting any of that. He was expecting that he got lost during a storm one time and couldn’t find his way home, typical little kid stuff, but this… This was different. This made sense. Zoro swallowed thickly, going on to ask, “How did you survive?”

Sanji smirked, though Zoro couldn’t see it, “Zeff. He was one of the pirates who attacked our ship.”

Okay, now that really surprised him, “What?”

“Zeff. His crew attacked our ship,” Sanji clarified then continued, “After I fell overboard, he jumped in after me. I remember seeing him swim after me, then I passed out. I woke up on a rock in the middle of the ocean. We were stranded there for 85 days… I ran out of food on day 25… I almost died there, too.”

“Holy shit, cook,” Zoro said; the story just kept going and surprising him even more.

“Zeff actually gave me all of the food,” Sanji went on, “He survived those 85 days because he cut off his own leg and ate it. But he saved me and I’m forever grateful. And in his debt.”

Okay, that was the kicker.

“He ate his leg?!” Zoro cried in shock.

Sanji quirked an eyebrow, “Why is that the most surprising part to you?”

“Because he ate his fucking leg!” Zoro practically yelled, “Who the fuck has the balls to do that?!”

“You tried to cut yours off one time, you dumbass!” Sanji yelled back, though Zoro could hear him laughing through the words.

“Hey, I was trying to escape!” Zoro defended.

“And cutting off your own legs was the way to do that?” Sanji asked, still laughing, the he cowered and squeezed Zoro’s hands that he had forgotten were still holding his when lightning crashed once more, “Dammit… is it ever gunna stop?”

Zoro looked up, as if staring through the ceiling at the storm overhead before he muttered, “Hopefully soon,” He then looked back down at Sanji, eyebrows furrowed in concern, “You alright?”

As the storm raged overhead and rocked the boat Sanji subconsciously moved closer to Zoro, “I want to go upstairs.”

“The storm is louder up there,” Zoro reminded him, but Sanji simply shook his head.

“The sound of the waves down here are making me anxious,” Sanji said, trembling under Zoro’s touch, “I don’t know why I always come down here when there’s a storm, it just stresses me out more.”

Zoro knew exactly why, and so did Sanji, “It’s because you don’t want anyone to know you’re scared.”

“It’s nothing like that!” Sanji snapped, shoulders going rigid in annoyance.

“Why are you like that?” Zoro asked, “Why don’t you want anybody to know you’re afraid?”

“Why do you want to know?! All you want is to make fun of me for it anyway!” Sanji snapped, finally lifting his head and glaring at Zoro.

“No, I’m genuinely curious!” Zoro snapped right back, eyes narrowing once again.

Sanji turned his head to look away, not in the mood to share his personal life with the idiot, “It’s none of your damn business…”

Zoro looked at him for a minute, debating whether or not he should push the issue. In the end he decided he should leave it be for the time being. Sanji had started to relax, no need to get him all riled up again. He sighed in defeat and relaxed his shoulders, dropping his glare, “Alright. I’m going upstairs then.”

He let go of Sanji then, standing up and leaving the blonde in his fetal position on the ground. Sanji peered up at him, a somewhat fearful look on his face as Zoro started to step away without him, “W-wait…” Sanji shakily got to his feet, having to use the wall to steady himself before he stumbled after the larger man who was steadily walking further away, “Zoro!”

He stopped at hearing his name called, rarely ever hearing Sanji say it. He stood there in silence for a moment, waiting for Sanji to continue. Sanji clenched his free fist anxiously where he stood, using his other hand to brace himself on the wall so he didn’t fall over. _ How the hell is mosshead staying so steady? _

It took him a minute to work up to courage to say it, but finally he said, “Don’t go without me… I don’t want to be alone…” He turned to look away from Zoro, feeling his face burn again as he finally admitted, “… I’m scared…”

That’s all Zoro wanted to hear.

He turned around and stepped back over to the cook, stopping right in front of him and grabbing his hand from against the wall; Sanji flinched at the sudden contact, “Come on, then. Let’s go.”

Sanji blinked in surprise, then he swallowed nervously and nodded, “O-okay…”

Zoro helped lead Sanji down the wall, the blonde’s legs having given up because of all the tension and fear that was basically paralyzing him. It was amazing the types of things this crew has been through and seen and none of that fazed the cook, but a simple thunderstorm comes through and the man can barely walk on his own. It wasn’t even a bad thunderstorm, in Zoro’s opinion. They’d had much worse.

Zoro helped Sanji carefully up the stairs, and after Sanji made it clear where he wanted to go, Zoro led him to the galley. The wind, rain, and thunder were all very loud in here, and Sanji made it known that he didn’t like it as soon as they walked in. Zoro felt his hand squeeze his own, as well as Sanji shuffling closer and cursing under his breath, “Fuck…”

“Are you sure you want to be in here? Don’t you wanna go lay down?” Zoro asked, not really liking how tense Sanji was in here.

But he shook his head, “No, I want to be in here.”

Zoro sighed but didn’t argue. He helped Sanji over to the table, assisting him in sitting down at the bench on one side. After he was settled in his seat Zoro released him and stepped back, looking down at him curiously, “Do you want me to at least turn on the light?”

“No, it’s fine,” Sanji said, hands gripping the edge of the table anxiously, “I want to try and get some sleep.”

Zoro raised a confused eyebrow, “In the kitchen?”

“Shut up,” Sanji said quietly, very little bite in his tone.

“Alright…” Zoro said, holding up his hands defensively.

It was quiet for a minute then, both of them going completely silent. Hell, for a moment there Zoro wondered if Sanji had actually fallen asleep, the only thing that made him know he was still awake was the trembling of his shoulders and his shaky breathing. 

Sanji spoke again, admitting another truth he never thought he’d say, “I’m afraid of the dark, too.”

Okay, now he was starting to confuse Zoro, “Then why—”

“If we turn on the light then Nami-san will come and check why it’s on and then she’ll see me in here crying all over myself,” Sanji said, shaking his head as he stared at the tabletop, “I don’t want to look weak in front of her.”

Zoro slumped his shoulders, “Cook—”

“You know, I’m not afraid of storms just because of what I told you about earlier,” Sanji went on, ignoring Zoro constantly trying to break in, “I mean, it’s a part of it, but there’s more to it.”

Zoro blinked, curious now. He swallowed thickly, preparing himself before he pushed for him to continue, “What’s the other reason?” He then backtracked and added quickly, “If you don’t mind telling me, anyway. You don’t have to if—”

“I want to,” Sanji said, and Zoro could’ve sworn he heard a tad bit of joy in his tone, like he was tyring to suppress a chuckle. That all disappeared in a second though, “Unless… you don’t want to hear it. I’m sure you don’t, it’s stupid really—”

“No, tell me,” Zoro said, going to sit across from him now, “Really.”

Sanji looked across the table at Zoro, surprised by Zoro’s interest. He seemed genuine, but this was Zoro. He didn’t want to tell him and then Zoro just hold it over his head for the rest of his life. No. What is he thinking? Zoro may be an asshole, but even he wouldn’t use this as something against him. That’d be too cruel, even for Zoro.

“Well… okay…” Sanji avoided looking at Zoro then, not wanting to see his reaction to anything he was about to say. Not that he could see him that well anyway; it was pitch black in here, he could barely even make Zoro out. He took a deep breath before he started, “Well, I guess what made me so… afraid of storms is… the way I was raised…”

Zoro quirked an eyebrow, “By that chef guy?”

Sanji shook his head, making it very clear that Zeff did not have anything to do with this, “No, this has nothing to do with him. This is about… before I met him… It’s about… my biological family…”

Oh. Zoro never thought anything of something like this. Hell, to his knowledge Zeff was Sanji’s biological father. They didn’t look too different, or act that different either. They were both two blonde hot-headed bastards who held the strength of two hundred men behind their kick. 

“When I was a kid I was always pressured to do as well as my siblings,” Sanji explained, using his hands to gesture as he spoke, as if moving kept him grounded for long enough to tell his story, “We were trained to fight. We were taught how to use swords, do hand-to-hand combat, they made us do unimaginable exercises… We were trained to do… horrible things…”

This was not going to end well, Zoro knew.

“Anyway,” Sanji shook his head, clearing his throat to get rid of the trembling in his voice, “I wasn’t strong enough, I could never keep up. After a while I guess they’d had enough of me and I was locked in a cell. It was dark and lonely, and for a while no one came to visit me… At least until my brothers found out I was down there, then they came down to beat me every once in a while… Anyway, I guess what I’m trying to get through here is that storms are loud and dark, and they remind me of my childhood I guess…”

Zoro was silent for a moment, not having expected any of that. He didn’t realize nor ever think that Sanji’s life had been so hard. He almost didn’t know what to say. Almost.

“How’d you escape?” Zoro asked, voice louder than Sanji’s had been, which in turn startled the blonde.

“What?” Sanji asked, taken aback by the question.

“How’d you escape? How’d you end up on that boat before you met Zeff?” Zoro asked, trying to make himself clear.

“Oh,” Sanji looked back down at his hands on the table, both of them trembling horribly, “Um… my sister, she’s the one who broke me out of the cell. She told me to run away and never come back… She told me that uh… that I’d… meet people like you someday…”

That piqued his interest, “People like… me?”

Sanji felt his face warm up for the third time that night and he made sure to keep his head down when he said, “Kind people like you.”

_ Oh. _ Zoro felt his face heat up as well.

Sanji carded a shaky hand through his hair, trying to push through whatever this feeling was, “Anyway, she helped me and now here I am. With all of you. There’s your answer.”

Sanji refused to look at Zoro, and Zoro didn’t know what to say. That story sort of threw him for a loop. He hadn’t expected any of that. He almost felt the need to share something. He’d never told anybody about his childhood, even if he didn’t think it was all that bad. Everyone had tragedy, so he never held his to anything special.

He stood suddenly and quickly moved around the table, saying maybe a little too harshly, “Move over.”

“W-what?” Sanji quickly lifted his head, surprised by Zoro suddenly sliding in to sit next to him.

“I said move over!” Zoro snapped, forcefully pushing Sanji over and almost knocking him down.

“Dammit! Would you give me ten seconds?!” Sanji snapped, but scooted over, nonetheless.

“When I was a kid my friend and rival died,” Zoro jumped right into it, giving Sanji no time to prepare, “She slipped and fell, hit her head. We both vowed to become the world’s greatest swordsman. The day after we did that was the day she died… My tragedy is no where near as horrible as yours, but I just thought you should know.”

Sanji blinked in surprise, “Why?”

Zoro shrugged, “I don’t know, I guess… you just seemed upset, and I thought if I shared something it wouldn’t make you feel so alone.”

Sanji couldn’t believe. Roronoa Zoro was being… Vulnerable? This was unheard of. He almost wanted to laugh, poke fun at him, but he really didn’t feel like it. This felt nice. They were having a moment, and Sanji really just couldn’t believe it. He wondered if Zoro could.

Sanji chuckled and shook his head, looking back down at his hands, “Don’t compare tragedies, you dumbass.”

“What?” Zoro snapped, narrowing his eyes at the blonde.

Sanji shook his head again, “No one’s tragedy is worse than the other. That’s not how it works. Everything effects people differently, so everyone’s story is personal. What happened to me is no worse than what happened to you, alright? Losing somebody is… tough.”

Zoro softened his gaze when Sanji said that, “You would know?”

Sanji stayed silent for a moment, then he cleared his throat, “Story for another time.”

“Fair enough,” Zoro said, then his eyes drifted towards Sanji’s hands that were still trembling heavily. He reached a hand over and rested it on top of both of Sanji’s, halting the shaking, “It’s alright.”

Sanji looked at their hands, then he looked at Zoro, meeting his eyes. For the first time in what felt like an eternity lightning crashed again, creating a loud boom and bright flash of light through the windows. Sanji yelped at the sudden sound and light, scooting closer to Zoro as if looking for some source of comfort. 

Zoro slung an arm around Sanji’s shoulders, giving him the source of comfort and protection that he needed to feel right now. He leaned his head down, nose brushing against blonde hair as he whispered, “You’re alright.”

They stayed that way for a while, Sanji huddled against Zoro’s side and Zoro holding the blonde close. He’d never felt this protective over anyone before, not in this manner anyway. Of course, he was protective of the crew. They were his nakama, he’d protect him at any cost, and Sanji was his nakama, but he was… different. He couldn’t really place how right now, he just felt that he was.

It took some time, but eventually Sanji eased and grew tired. His head ended up resting on the table, eyes drifting shut as sleep slowly took him over. Every once in a while thunder would crash, making him flinch awake in a panic, but Zoro always eased him back down, hand against his hair. The storm did fade away after about an hour, and Sanji didn’t wake up again. His trembling stopped and his breath evened out, he was calm and Zoro was glad.

Zoro finally relaxed as well, and not long after Sanji did. He rested his head next to his, arm still around his shoulders. He fell asleep and they stayed there the rest of the night, neither of them waking even when the sun started peeking through, showing no sign of a storm even happening the night before.

Nami is the one who found them, and she was even surprised. She only smiled at the sight, using the blanket that she had wrapped around herself and draping it over the both of them. She then placed each of her hands on both of their heads, ruffling their hair gently before muttering, “Idiots.”

Then she turned and left the galley, leaving the two ‘idiots’ to themselves.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it! Please leave a comment and let me know what you thought! Have a nice day/night! Until next time!


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